Collector Base
The Collector Base is a massive space station located in the galactic core on the accretion disk of a black hole. Home to countless Collectors, Seeker swarms, and Collector-controlled Husks, Abominations and Scions, it also houses the Collector General, all of which work for Harbinger. The base can only be reached via the Omega 4 Relay and is surrounded by the Tartarus Debris Field, a vast debris field of past ill-fated ships who tried to access the relay. Within this vast debris field, several Oculus hide. The Collector base presumably survives proximity to a black hole due to what Commander Shepard posits is Reaper technology, and keeps at least one Collector Cruiser docked with it, which is dwarfed in size by the base itself. The base has the same semi-organic interior as the Collector Cruiser. After Shepard discovers a way to travel safely through the Omega 4 Relay with a mission to stop the Collector's abduction of human colonies, Shepard takes the team to the base aboard the Normandy SR-2 where they make it through the defenses surrounding the station, even managing to destroy a Collector Cruiser. However, the resulting explosion causes the Normandy to crash on the surface of the station. In spite of that, it remains undetected, either the base's external sensors being blinded by the explosion or it lacks a security system; the latter being the most likely explanation due to the Collector's overconfidence in the idea that nobody could overcome their defenses. Depending on the upgrades that have been purchased for the Normandy SR-2, up to three squad members may be killed during the impact. During a mission briefing, EDI identifies a way to destroy the station by overloading the critical systems from the main control center. Getting to it would require going through a central chamber where the abducted colonists were presumed to be if they are still alive. In order to stretch the Collectors' resistances, the squad splits into two teams, with each team taking one of the two main routes to the central chamber. However both routes are blocked by doors which can only be be opened from the other side of the doors. A tech specialist is assigned to disable the security system and reopen the locked doors by navigating through a ventilation shaft which leads past the doors. Once the two teams reunite after fighting off enemy forces and sealing the doors behind them, they find themselves in the central chamber and in sight of numerous abductees in pods. Realizing that they are still alive and watching Lilith, a colonist from Horizon, melted down and killed, the team hurriedly set free some people from the nearby pods, recovering Doctor Chakwas and a couple of other Normandy crew members. After discovering that humans are being turned into raw genetic material and pumped through a tube network for unknown reasons, Shepard had Chakwas and the survivors return to the Normandy while the team moved on to the main control room where the tubes are leading to. The route is blocked by a security door but there is an alternative route, though it is filled with Seeker swarms. To overcome the situation, Shepard leads a small team around the other side of the door, a team which includes a biotic specialist to repel the swarms by projecting a protective barrier while the remaining squad members head directly to the door. Shepard's team battles their way to the security door and opens it so the diversion team can pass through, sealing it behind them. EDI informs Shepard that some nearby platforms leads to the main control console which can be used to overload the systems and destroy the base. However, the Collectors begin massing outside the security door, attempting to reopen it and reach the team. Shepard takes two squad mates to aid in reaching the control console while the rest of the team stays behind to keep the Collectors from making it through the door. Shepard's group fights their way across a number of platforms before reaching the control room and discovering what the tubes are pumping the human material into; a Human-Reaper. After dealing with more Collectors and destroying the tubes holding the Human-Reaper, the construct falls to the bottom, seemingly destroyed. As Shepard orders the team holding back the Collectors at the door to return to the Normandy and prepares to overload, a message comes in from the Illusive Man. He asks Shepard to set the reactor to emit a radiation pulse instead of overloading it. This way, instead of the station being destroyed, the Collectors in the base would be killed and the technology left intact for Cerberus to use against the Reapers. Depending on the player's response, certain squad mates will react. Should the Paragon response be chosen then Garrus, Legion, Zaeed, Grunt and Mordin will speak in favor of preserving the base, reminding Shepard that it's just data and that destroying it serves no purpose. If the Renegade response is chosen then Tali, Thane, Jacob and Jack will disapprove strongly, reminding Shepard of the sick experiments, while Samara and Miranda will have more neutral responses. If the Neutral response is chosen then none of your squad will comment. In the end, Shepard makes the decision and sets the reactor. However, the Human-Reaper climbs out of the pit and engages Shepard and the two squad mates. After the Human-Reaper larva is destroyed once and for all, Shepard hurries back to the Normandy with Seeker swarms and Collectors on their pursuit. The Normandy races away from the base as the countdown reaches zero, just before Harbinger vows to continue on its plans, and finally ends with Collectors' destruction. Depending on the choice made by the player at the end of Mass Effect 2, the Collector base is either preserved for Cerberus, or destroyed. If the player destroyed the Collector base, a cutscene will show the Illusive Man and a blue star behind him, or a red star if the player decides otherwise, indicating that the player's choice could decide whether the decision was paragon or renegade. Your squad members will also comment on the decision after, showing agreement or disagreement depending on the choice made and each individual in part. Trivia *The Collector base orbiting a black hole at close proximity could be a subtle reference to 'The Colony', the main base of operations of the Cylons from the Reimagined Battlestar Galactica, which also could be found on the accretion disk of a black hole. *The black hole and debris field are seen on the Title screen of all versions of the game. Category:Mass Effect 2 Category:Locations Category:Collectors